Sighing, she decided she could print out the article at the school library and give it to him another time. On the other hand, maybe this was a sign from above telling her that sharing the article might not be the best impulse. He might not appreciate it. At least now she’d have some time to decide.
Chapter Seven
Next away game, Matthew was sitting up in his bed with his tablet on his lap. He was looking at a video of the last game he played for St. Peter’s. It was one of his best outings. He led the team to victory by completing seventy percent of his passes, throwing three touchdown passes and carrying a fourth into the end zone himself. He was on fire that day.
Where did that guy go, he wondered. The guy who left St. Peter’s wasn’t the same guy who started EFU. With him as the starting quarterback, the team lost two games in row. He quickly got replaced as the starter and his confidence was shot. He felt angry and resentful all the time and that wasn’t like him. He never used to be like this.
Looking up toward the ceiling, he prayed for patience.
∙•∙
Brittany had taken about all she could handle of the grunting and squishing sounds coming from Sofia’s bed. Derek was insatiable, it seemed, and Sofia didn’t seem to mind a bit. Lying under the covers, Brittany felt like a voyeur or whatever the equivalent would be of listening to sex instead of watching it.
She flipped the covers down off her head and avoided looking in her roommate’s direction. She grabbed Derek’s key card off the floor and headed to his room. She knew it wasn’t the most prudent thing to do and she might not be welcome, but deep down she’d been hoping for the opportunity to see Matthew, to talk to him, to spend time with him.
She slid the key card into the slot and entered the room. Unlike last time, the light was on. She was stunned to find Matthew sitting up in his bed above the covers. He was shirtless, and she wasn’t sure whether he was totally naked because he was holding his tablet on his lap. She tried not to stare.
He set the tablet aside, revealing a pair of briefs. “I kind of figured I’d be seeing you tonight when Derek didn’t come right back.”
Avoidance proved useless. She couldn’t help but stare at his bare chest. Smiling, she said, “I like your outfit. Are you wearing it for my benefit?” When he cocked his head, she backtracked. “Okay okay. Lookit, coming to your room wasn’t my idea. It’s your roommate’s fault.”
“Of course. My roommate’s fault. Not yours,” he said sincerely.
Brittany bit her lip, a little surprised at how calm and cool Matthew was acting. She approached Derek’s bed across from Matt’s and sat down, resting her palms behind her on the bed. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he said flatly. “Me casa su casa.”
“Really?”
He shrugged. “Sure, why not?” Looking at her face, he said, “Why do you wear so much makeup?”
Her eyes flashed. “What?” She quickly got up off the bed and glanced at the wall mirror. “I’m not wearing makeup.”
Matthew rubbed his forehead. “I um…I didn’t mean that as an insult, Brit. It’s just that, looking at you now, you’re so naturally pretty, you don’t need to hide behind that mask you wear. I’d much rather look at you without makeup than—sheesh. I’m just making this worse.”
“I thought I was supposed to be the blunt one, not you.” Brittany smiled a little and sat back down. “You’re pretty good at turning an insult into a compliment.”
»»•««
Matthew hadn’t intended to flirt with Brittany or tell her how pretty he thought she was. It just slipped out. He didn’t want her to flirt back because he was feeling pretty low, and he didn’t think he’d have the strength to resist her advances. “I’m gonna get some sleep.” He set his tablet on the lamp table and reached for the switch on the lamp. The room went dark. “Good night, Brittany.”
But sleep wouldn’t come. Matthew lay awake staring up at the ceiling in the darkness. His body was reacting to Brittany’s nearness in a way that wouldn’t let him sleep. He wouldn’t admit this out loud, but he kind of liked having Brittany as his de facto roommate. She smelled a lot better than Derek, she didn’t snore, and she was easy on the eyes. He turned his head to look over at her. The light filtering through the curtains from the hotel parking lot below the window illuminated her angelic face. And her breast.
His eyes widened. Brittany was sleeping on her side facing Matthew and her left breast was completely exposed, having fallen through the armhole in Brittany’s sleep tank. Matthew looked away quickly. Then he looked back. He closed his eyes, and then he opened them again. It was still there, like an eye magnet, drawing his vision right to it. He felt his breathing quicken. He felt like he should do something. As a gentleman, he should wake her up and suggest she adjust herself. Maybe he should just push it back in.
Staring at her breast, he imagined going over and sitting on her bed. He started to cover her breast when an overwhelming urge to touch her took over. He just had to know what she felt like. He ran his fingers over the smooth contours around the perimeter of her breast, inching toward the center, traversing the border where white turns to pink and letting his fingers climb to the pinnacle. He pinched her nipple between his thumb and forefingers until she awakened, moaning and squirming with pleasure. She slid the straps down off her shoulders to reveal both breasts. “Touch me,” she said breathlessly. “Yes, right there. Again. Oh yes.” He leaned closer and closed his lips over her breast.
Brittany cried out as she stirred from sleep. “Stop it.”
Matthew quickly looked away. Through the corner of his eye, he saw her adjust her sleepwear, covering up and rolling over in the other direction. His face was hot and his eyes wide with guilt. Did she see him leering at her?
“Um. You okay?” he asked.
“Uh huh. Just a bad dream.”
He blew some air between his lips, grateful the room was mostly dark. Otherwise she’d be able to see how flushed and sweaty he was. He needed to splash his face with water, so he threw his covers back and headed toward the bathroom.
“You okay?” Brittany asked groggily.
“Yeah, I’m great. Go back to sleep.”
Chapter Eight
On her way to cheer practice the following Monday, Brittany’s phone buzzed. It was a text announcing an all-hands meeting in the gymnasium. All-hands meant all Barracudas—the football team, the basketball team, the cheer squad, and the band. Uh oh, Brittany thought. Last time there was an all-hands meeting, it was to announce Philip Mason was out for the season. The team managers expected attendance to take a hit as a result, so they said it was up to the team and the cheerleaders to keep up excitement, though it came across more like a warning than a request.
Brittany remembered the day Philip went down. Her heart had lodged in her throat when they carted him off the field. Everything felt surreal afterward, and it was hard to concentrate on her cheers for the rest of the game. At the time, she wanted to be with him, hold his hand, and comfort him. Hopefully today’s announcement wouldn’t be anywhere near as dire.
She entered the gym and scanned the bleachers, automatically looking for Matthew. She rarely saw him during the week except from afar during practice. She spotted him seated in the back row, and he was looking in her direction as well. Their eyes locked and she was about to head up the bleachers to sit near him, even though the individual teams usually stayed within their own groups.
Without warning, a long arm dangled around her shoulder and across her body. Her heart started beating fast and she turned her head to see Blaine, the basketball player she’d dated in freshman year.
“Hey hot lips, I haven’t seen you in forever. Where you been hiding?”
Brittany pulled out of his grasp. “I’m not hiding. I’m where I always am,” she answered defensively.
He eyed her chest. “You’re looking good, baby. How about we hook up tonight?”
“Wow, that is such an appealing offer,” she said
sarcastically, “but how about we don’t? I’m busy. I need to wash my hair tonight.” She turned away and he grabbed her arm.
“What’s up your butt? We had some good times.”
Leaning near his face, she said, “You had good times, not me.”
“What the hell? You think you’re too good for me all of a sudden?”
“I have no illusions about myself, Blaine.” She squinted at him, trying to look tough. “I’m just hanging out on the sidelines these days, and that’s how I like it.”
Brittany turned and walked toward the stands as Blaine called to her, “Whatever. If you ever feel like getting back in the game, call me.”
Brittany waved without turning back around. She scanned the stands but didn’t see Matthew anymore.
“Hey Brit, over here,” Sofia called and waved her over. Brittany climbed the bleacher stairs and took a seat next to her friend. “You okay, girlfriend?” Brittany shrugged. Her heart was beating fast from that confrontation. Seeing Blaine brought back memories she’d just as soon forget. He and his lewd teammates were the reason she’d begged Janna, the spirit team’s head coach, to let her transfer to the football team’s squad. EFU had different cheer squads for different sports, and Brittany couldn’t bear to be near the basketball team any longer after the ugly gossip Blaine had spread. Janna knew something was up and she asked repeatedly if Brittany wanted to file a complaint against someone. That was never going to happen again, not after the way she was treated back home in New York when she charged a high school basketball player with sexual assault. “Just transfer me, Janna. Please,” she begged, until Janna finally agreed.
“What’s wrong?” Sofia asked.
Snapping back to the present, Brittany mumbled, “Everything.” But before she could pour her heart out, Coach Fairchild and his staff appeared at center court, along with Janna and the basketball coaches.
Coach Fairchild’s voice boomed through the room and everyone in the stands instantly grew quiet. Most of the players respected the coach. He was a busy man and he didn’t have time for a long preamble. He always got right to the point. Brittany considered this one of his best qualities. “There’s a petition circulating to change the team name,” he announced. “You’ll read about it in the next issue of EFUsion, but let me be clear. We’re the Barracudas. We’ve been the Barracudas since the university was established twenty years ago, and we are not changing our name.”
“Why do they want to change it?” one player called out.
Fairchild looked at one of his assistant coaches before answering. “Some students and faculty think barracudas are too vicious. They’re predators and they’re intimidating and that might keep people from attending games—which is crap,” Coach added under his breath.
There was a mixture of laughter, boos, applause, and catcalls.
“I agree,” one of the girls called out. “They are mean. Mean and scary!”
“So what should we call ourselves?” a player shouted. “EFU Salmon? How about the Herrings?”
“The Little Lambs,” another player yelled, causing the guys to erupt in laughter.
Brittany rolled her eyes and leaned closer to Sofia. “All fish are predators, don’t they know that? Even dogs bite. Sheesh. It’s not going to help attendance. Nothing will help besides Philip Mason coming back.” Brittany sighed when she thought about how exciting game day used to be, back when Philip was playing. That era was gone forever.
She craned her neck and scanned the stands again, trying to find Matthew. She didn’t see him. It occurred to her that he may have seen her talking to Blaine and gotten the wrong idea, even though Matthew probably only thought of Brittany as a friend.
“Settle down, people.” Janna stepped closer to Coach Fairchild. “Look, you’re entitled to your opinion of course, but we’re asking everyone associated with the team, everyone here in this gym, not to speak to any reporters, neither from EFUsion or the mainstream media.”
“That’s suppressing our freedom of speech,” a girl called out amidst boos.
“No, that’s showing respect for your team and your school,” Fairchild retorted. “Each of you represents this team, and don’t forget that!”
“Look,” Janna said, a little less forcefully, “we can’t stop you from expressing your opinion, but we’d rather you not express it to reporters or on social media.”
“If we changed our name every time someone had an opinion, we’d have a different name every game.” Coach paused to assess the crowd. Clapping once, he said, “Okay, meeting’s over. Those of you scheduled for practice, get to it.”
»»•««
Matthew sat on the sidelines after the meeting and watched Tony practice short passes. This was shaping up to be one of those days when he suited up for nothing. He wasn’t needed for the practice squad today, he wasn’t in the game, and he was starting to think he never would be again. Tony was doing a great job at the quarterback position. He hadn’t lost a game since he reclaimed the starting job and he was making it look easy. Matthew was merely warming the bench and was only useful to the practice squad.
His eyes traveled down to the other end of the field where the cheer squad was practicing. He zeroed in on Brittany, moving gracefully in sync with the other girls. Seemed like she was born to cheer. Her timing was perfect, and she was energetic and enthusiastic. She was also beautiful.
After seeing Brittany half-naked, Matthew couldn’t get that image out of his mind. Part of him wished he’d never seen it because she occupied his thoughts day and night now. He kept having to remind himself of his vow before he did something impulsive.
He’d known lots of cheerleaders in his day but none of them had gotten under his skin the way Brittany had, and it happened almost without warning. Many girls flirted with Matt, but he was committed to his vow of purity and could usually control his libido. No one had ever flirted with him the way Brittany did. She was so forthright about it, so unapologetically obvious, so relentless. In a way though, it was refreshing, even charming. Where it bugged him at first, he was now starting to wonder if she sensed something all along that he didn’t.
He kept trying to remind himself that Brittany wasn’t his type, but every argument had holes in it. He wanted a girl who was honest. Well, as he’d gotten to know Brittany, he learned no one was more honest than she. She was honest to a fault and she freely spoke her mind. Sometimes she was too honest for comfort. And yet, he was beginning to like that about her. She was unique and she challenged him, and he had to admit it was fun bantering with her. But it was her vulnerable side that got to him most.
The biggest issue he had with Brittany from the start was her reputation. He’d heard she was promiscuous and he came from a strict, devout household. He went to religious schools and had a very rigid set of values. Brittany didn’t fit his image of a girl he could be serious about, and he was nothing if not serious. He couldn’t imagine bringing her home to meet his parents. But that day on the bus ride back from Bradenton, she’d said something that really got to him. She said she didn’t earn her reputation. Something about the way she said it tugged at his heartstrings and he wasn’t exactly sure why. He didn’t want to ask too many personal questions, but he was dying to know what she meant.
Matthew felt something touch his foot, so he looked down. A football had rolled in his direction. He picked it up and looked for someone to toss it to, but the guys already had another ball in play. Holding the ball in his hands, he felt his anger rise. He was back-burnered so far, no one even noticed him anymore. It felt like he transferred to EFU for nothing. If he stayed at St. Peter’s, he’d still be a starter. This wasn’t what he was promised.
He rose to his feet and drop-kicked the football with full fury. The ball went sailing across the width of the field and into the empty stands on the other side of the arena. His teammates stopped what they were doing and watched the ball land before turning to look in Matthew’s direction. Embarrassed for letting his anger get the bette
r of him, Matthew shrugged and held up his palms.
He turned to leave the field and spotted Brittany running toward him. He stood in place and waited for her. “Hey.” She gripped his arm. “You okay?” she asked with concern.
He looked into her eyes for a moment before answering. “You doing anything right now?”
She shook her head no. “Practice just ended.”
“Wanna take a ride?”
“With you, I’d go anywhere.”
“Great. Meet me at the entrance to the sports complex in a half hour.” He turned and began heading for the locker room. Stopping, he turned back around. “And bring a swimsuit.”
Chapter Nine
Brittany looked into the full-length mirror hanging from the back of her bedroom door holding a bikini top close to her chest. She relaxed the arm holding that top and held up another one with her other hand. One top was a black halter with white polka dots and a deep cleavage. The other was solid black halter top with gathered fabric, gray straps, and a sculpted sweetheart neckline. The polka dot bikini was more revealing and the solid black halter was more refined and sophisticated. She closed her eyes and imagined Matthew looking at her in each of them. Really, she couldn’t miss with either one. Both were super cute. But which one would Matthew prefer, she wondered. Seemed like he was turned off by anything that was too in-your-face or flirtatious, and his celibacy vow made it clear he didn’t want to be tempted. She was also pretty sure he got an eyeful last time she slept in his motel room. When she woke up during the night, she noticed she was having a wardrobe mishap. She’d spilled out of her nightshirt. Ordinarily she’d be embarrassed, but since it was Matthew, she didn’t mind so much. At least he seemed to be showing interest now. “Could the accidental peep show be the reason?” she mumbled. Brittany chose to ignore that thought.
Pass Protection (Quarterback Sneak Book 3) Page 5
